The End War: Obligations
by DoomDuckGod
Summary: Based on the series "Monster Hunter", "Obligations" is a story of the middle of a great war. What starts as a quest for vengeance soon evolves into something much more; something few people know of and even fewer believe.


Obligations: "Prologue (Personal Issues)"

The End War:

Obligations

"Prologue (Personal Issues)"

Part I

_Zachary-_

_I don't usually write letters, and I apologize even less, so this is pretty new to me. Well, here I go: I'm sorry I couldn't make it. I really wanted to go, and I feel awful for not showing up. I know how much it meant to you, and I must say I was surprised when I received an invitation. I don't know why I was surprised, I know you very well. I guess I figured you didn't like me for some reason. I suppose you don't now, since I didn't even bother to arrive. But you must understand the importance of this trip. The produce would have spoiled if I had left any later, and this is the biggest delivery of the year. I really should have left much earlier. But I didn't, and I wasn't there when you were so kind as to invite me. I hope you can forgive me._

_-William DeArsel_

Slowly the young man folded the slightly crinkled parchment into thirds and laid it on the tabletop next to him. He put his hand on his head and sighed heavily. He was twenty-five years of age, but the sadness and anger one could see in his eyes made him appear years older.

"You alright?" His friend asked as he stood at the other end of the small room, arms folded across his chest.

"Yeah," the first man answered, "Depression sure is fun."

The other man sighed, "Zach…"

Suddenly the door burst open, and a boy about seven years younger than the men in the room strode in.

"Did you read that?" The boy asked, eyeing the letter.

"I did," Zachary answered as he looked across the room at his younger brother.

Smiling, the boy stated, "Pretty thoughtful, isn't it?"

Zachary glared at the boy, "You told him to write it, didn't you?"

"Well…" The boy sat down on the bed next to his brother, "He really does feel bad."

"You didn't bother to tell him what happened?" Zachary asked.

"It's not my right to tell him," The boy stated plainly, "It seems kind of personal to me. I think that if he were to be told by someone, it should be you. Besides, he was just about to start the negotiations. It's very difficult to get a good price if you're upset."

Zachary said no more, but simply lay down on his back on his firm bed. The boy looked curiously at his brother. Standing back up, he walked over to a shelf, removed his thick coat, and placed it on the shelf.

The man, still leaning against the opposite wall, addressed the boy.

"Jonathan," he began, "Put your coat back on. We should leave."

"Why?" Jonathan asked.

"Obviously, Zach doesn't appreciate our company at the moment," he took his back off the wall.

"Thanks, Thomas." Zachary said, still staring at the ceiling, "Now if you have enough sense to figure that out, I'm sure you can find the door."

"But it's raining outside," Jonathan said, "And it's never fun in the rain around here. Damn marsh gets so slushy. I just cleaned these boots, too."

"John," Thomas frowned, "You were just out there."

"So what?" the boy replied, "I live here, too. I have every right to stay. Zach's just being overly-dramatic, like he always is."

"You do know what happened, right?" Thomas asked.

"Yeah," the boy shook his head, "I am aware of what happened. But it's been about a week. Do you remember how long it took him to recover after what happened eight years ago? That was pathetic."

Zachary stood from his bed and looked curiously at his younger brother, "Pathetic? Interesting. I apologize if my love for my family seemed…pathetic…but it was a rather traumatizing experience. Now, what happened last week was also quite unpleasant, and I would be grateful if you were to leave me to myself for a bit. If I appear overly-dramatic, so be it."

Jonathan shrugged, "I'll give you some time. A week isn't too long for mourning. I myself am still shedding tears every now and then. That may sound a little heartless, but I suppose I'm just not a very emotional person." He shook his head, "But I'm not sure if the way you're reacting is actually healthy. You're letting your life slip by. You've got to learn to stop living in the past. What happened is what happened. Moping around isn't going to bring Aeris back. We've both been through some tough times, but this isn't the end."

Suddenly Zachary realized something, "You're right," he said quietly, "It isn't the end."

"Really?" His brother was shocked, "You're actually…agreeing with me?"

He ignored the boy, "Not for me, anyway. But that may not be true for someone else."

Jonathan's eyes grew wide. He hurriedly walked over to Thomas.

"You're right," he said, "We should leave. I think he's about to kill someone."

He left the room and entered the kitchen through the small door next to where Thomas was leaning.

"Alright," Thomas shrugged as he followed the boy.

Zachary bent over and pulled out a long, skinny wooden case from under his bed. Slowly he opened the case and stared, marveling at the beauty hidden inside. A smile crept its way up his face as he reached in and pulled out the object.

He stood up and held the item in front of himself, smiling.

"Someone must pay for what has happened. And I don't care if they're innocent. I'm tired of sadness, and I'm tired of sitting around and fuming. It's time to do something about all of this."

Part II

A fire burned brightly in the fireplace behind the counter of the kitchen. Meat hung from the walls, and there was a spit positioned on the right side of the top of the counter. On the floor were large boxes filled with various seafood, vegetables, and grains, with random wooden chairs strewn across the floor.

The kitchen was inhabited by five chefs, all wearing brilliant white aprons and large white, fluffy hats. They were all about two and a half feet tall, and they walked in a slight hunch. Occasionally, one would plop down on all fours to relieve their tired back legs. After all, cats were originally meant to walk on four legs. But felynes were different. They were a slightly evolved species of cat; capable of speech, and possessing skills that allowed them to be hired into various professions.

They made excellent chefs, and many of them were hired into the Guild, providing cleanup, scouting, and lookout services. Of course, there were wild felynes that stole from and attacked any intruders to their dens. But felynes were generally a respected and well-liked species.

Their fur was of various shades and colors, some were solid; others were striped. One particular chef was bent over, its face embedded deep between its back legs, washing its fur relentlessly.

"Scott, not in the kitchen," Jonathan scolded the animal as we walked by.

"Nya," the chef shot upright, licking its lips, "Didn't notice you were there, Gastronome."

"It shouldn't make a difference, Scott," Jonathan shook his head.

He sat down on a wooden bench in front of the table in the middle of the warm, bright room. Thomas swung a chair around and sat across from him.

"Alright," Jonathan sighed, "We might as well eat as we wait for Zach to calm down. I'm starving."

Jonathan lifted his hand and tapped the bell on the tabletop. A loud, high-pitch ring echoed off the walls, and all but one of the cats scurried to the top of the counter, awaiting their orders. The one felyne that remained on the ground scampered up to the table, holding a small sheet of parchment and a quill. Around its neck was a red bandana, signifying its superiority over the other chefs.

"Nya," it stood up on its hind legs, prepared to jot down the order.

"Meat, Shoe," Jonathan said to the felyne, "What kind of meat do we have?"

Shoe looked around the room, "Master Zachary has supplied us with more Rathalos meat, nya. And…that's about it."

Jonathan rolled his eyes, "Always Rathalos. I'm sick of it," he scratched his head, "Whatever. Just cook me one."

"Nya," Shoe jotted down the order. Turning to Thomas, he asked, "And you?"

"Sure," Thomas answered, "Steak sounds fine."

"Alright," Shoe jotted down the rest of the order.

The felyne accepted the money and scampered back to the others, passing the parchment down the line. They read it quickly and set to work on their specific tasks to prepare the meals.

"You really think he's gonna kill someone?" Thomas asked.

Jonathan exhaled heavily, "I don't know. I really don't know anymore. He's changing, a lot. And I fear for him. One of these days he's gonna get himself killed."

Thomas shook his head, "I don't know about that. Ever since I met him, he's always been tough. I'm not afraid for him. It's the people of this village I'm worried about."

Jonathan looked at the man crossly, "What are you suggesting? That we should leave?"

"No, no," Thomas dismissed the assumption, "Zach's my friend, and he always will be. I'm simply saying that you need to find a way to calm him down. He's your brother, and you know him better than anyone else. You probably know him more than he knows himself."

"Okay, you're not being consistent," Jonathan stated, "You say we should leave him alone, yet I'm supposed to go back in there and talk to him?"

"I didn't know he was going to kill someone!"

"Why don't you go talk him? He'll listen to you more than me," Jonathan reasoned.

"Good point, kid," Thomas began, "But that's not my job. I'll talk to him, but I'm not always going to able to do this. You're going to have to learn to deal with your brother yourself," he stood up from the chair and began to leave the room. Before he did, he added, "Let me know when the food's ready."

"Zach?" Thomas re-entered the bedroom only to find that his friend was not there, "Damn," he ran outside into the stormy night.

It was dark; the rain pelted him in the face, soaking his clothing, the swampy mud filling his leather shoes. He trudged, with great difficulty, through the mush, searching for any indication of where his friend might have gone to. But it was difficult for him to even see his own feet through the torrent of water plummeting from the dark clouds. He hunched his shoulders to keep as much rain off his face as he could.

Suddenly he saw a flash of light, then another. He couldn't tell where it came from, but something deep inside told him to run. Every ounce of sense in his body urged him to flee as yet another flash of light appeared in the dark sky. But he would not go back without finding his friend. He continued to search, somehow drawn to the direction of the flashing bright lights.

"Zach!" He called out, his voice barely audible over the low rumble of constant thunder and the ravaging downpour, "Zach!" He called out again, still receiving no answer.

He stopped walking and glanced around, "Zach! Where the hell are you?!"

He saw nobody, and he saw nothing. He could not even see his own house three yards to his right. But he knew it was there. He had lived in Makado all his life and he knew its layout perfectly. So he veered to the right, heading for the closest shelter he could get to.

He reached his front door shortly and opened it. He entered his home and sighed. The slightly warm interior was a great relief from the chilling environment outside. But there were more important things at the moment than comfort. He grabbed his coat and exited his home, venturing back into the torrential storm.

Part III

A man stood staring out his window, transfixed by the strange flashes occurring not far from his house. He was a tall man, much taller than anyone else in Makado, with a strong, well-built body. Cleanly shaven, the only hair above his shoulders was the straight, dark, shoulder-length hair that sat upon his head; a single small braid of this hair was positioned, always, on the right side of his face.

He was slim, yet muscular, and his thin clothes were very tight on his body. Both his shirt and his pants were made from the elastic inner hide of a Gypceros. This clothing was crafted much differently than the armor made from the same wyvern, for the armor used the more rubbery outer hide of the beast. The outer hide was thicker, and more resilient to physical strikes. But what need does a common crystal miner have for armor?

Gypceros clothing was specially made for people of this man's profession, since oftentimes a miner may come across a particular kind of crystal; one that gave off an electric charge when disturbed. These crystals were highly valuable, and often used in the production of various equipments for the Imperial army. So, miners needed something to protect them from this dangerous shock. The hide of a Gypceros was extremely resistant to lightning and electricity, thus proving to be the perfect choice for the common clothing of a crystal miner.

Normally Gypceros clothes were saved for trips to the caves where they were needed, but this particular man outright refused to remove his elastic clothing. It was a very rare occasion to see him without it, and, therefore, a very rare occasion to see him without seeing his muscles bulge noticeably under the thin, stretchy material.

The man's wife sat in front of a small fire set in a stone fireplace, staring at him, smiling happily. She was a pretty woman. Not overwhelmingly beautiful, for the years had aged her. There were slight crow's feet at her eyes and her face had many winkles from so many years of smiling. Despite that, she did not appear old. Like her husband, she was strong enough to survive in the harsh Tolanusian Empire. And she wore her hair in such a way that the wrinkles upon her face her hidden behind the bouncing waves of amber locks.

She loved her husband, and her husband loved her. They were the happiest couple in the village of Makado. In all honesty there were few other couples in the small village, and most of them were separated due to the war that waged just at their doorsteps. Emperor Valdon had recently encouraged a novel plan to aid his forces in the terrible war. The war was in fact against a nation of wyverns, their rulers (dragons), and the feared possibility of other monsters within the borders of the Empire. So, the idea had been thought up to encourage common village folk to post "quests" in the taverns of their villages, asking fellow villagers or visitors to hunt down and slay various monsters for a variety of reasons. Whether it be for revenge for a common act of war or simply to cook a fantastic meal, these quests were posted, and common people that would normally never aid in a war would accept these quests, for there was always a reward. The reward consisted of a sum of money and certain portions of the monster slain.

Of course, before these monsters could be killed or captured, they had to be hunted down. Thus, the folk who consistently accepted these quests were dubbed 'Monster Hunters'. Monster Hunters would always receive body parts of the creature they killed, from scales to fangs. Along with the money they gained from such quests, Monster Hunters used these materials to craft updated arms and armor for themselves, allowing them to hunt greater creatures.

If the Monster Hunters knew that they were helping with a war, they would not be accepting any quests at all. They hunted purely for personal gain. The very fact that they knew they were helping fellow villagers slightly discouraged most. But the other villagers were also unaware of the war that had been raging for eight years. Emperor Valdon did all he could to keep the news hidden, and it was becoming ever easier with the aid of the unknowing Monster Hunters.

"Jess?" The woman spoke kindly to her husband, "Come away from the window, Dear."

Jess slowly backed away from the window, "I tell ya, there's something strange about that lightnin'," he continued to stare out into the stormy night.

"There's something strange about this whole storm, there is," his wife agreed, "But you ain't gonna find out nothin' jus' by starin' at it."

"True," Jess nodded, "But there's just something mesmerizing about it…"

His wife smiled and stood up. She was a full two heads shorter than her husband, which was increasingly obvious when she stood next to him.

"Everything mesmerizes you, Dear," she wrapped her arms around her husband's chest and embraced him tightly.

He smiled warmly down at her as he returned the hug. Out of the corner of his eye, however, he noticed something unusual on the other side of the window. He looked curiously out, and, to his amazement, recognized the young man trudging through the sludgy marsh toward the mysterious flashes.

Jess gently pushed his wife away from him, "Is that…Thomas?"

"Thomas!" The woman called as she ran to the young man through the pelting rain, "What the bloody 'ell are ya' doin'?! It's downright dangerous out here!"

"Julia!" Thomas called over the constant rolls of thunder, "I know! That's why I'm out here! I need to find Zach!"

"Zachy's gone missing again?" She frowned, "Oh Dear," a pause, "Well come inside, we'll discuss this," Thomas frowned slightly, so Julia repeated, "Come, come!"

He shrugged and followed her back into her house.

"Again?" Jess asked after he heard Thomas' story, "That boy's gonna get himself killed before too long, he is."

Thomas sighed, "You can't blame him for being upset, but I don't know what he plans to gain from running off all the time; especially with all these reports of a Kirin nearby."

"Bah," Jess rejected the comment, "Kirin's are a myth. Just a short word for unicorn, it is. And no has ever seen a unicorn before, have they?"

"True, unicorn's are most likely a myth," Thomas agreed, "But a Kirin is different."

"Bah," Jess said again, "A pony with a horn is a pony with a horn."

"Who says it's a pony with a horn? No one who's seen it has lived, so we can't know for sure what it looks like."

"Which proves my point!" Jess exclaimed, "If we don't know what it is, how can we tell there's one nearby?" He paused to let his statement sink in, "Regardless," he continued, "Zachy's not safe out there. That lightnin's awful close."

"And I'm not liking the look of it," Thomas said thoughtfully.

"Ah…see?" Jess addressed his wife, "I told ya there was something strange about it!"

Julia was reaching for her coat when she replied, "Then we better go find the lad."

"Aye," Jess agreed, "Don't want him doin' something stupid again, do we?"

Julia pulled her coat tightly around her shoulders. She was cold and alone, for they had decided to split up to search faster. Yet they all seemed drawn to the strange lights. Ultimately, they would end up at the same place; but that was where they were trying to go, as well. For the one they searched for was equally drawn to the mysterious flashes.

"Zach!" She called out, "Zach!" She yelled again.

The lights were getting closer. Either that or she was getting closer to the lights. It was difficult to tell when it was so difficult to see through the pelting precipitation.

Suddenly she saw something. She did not know what it was, but it seemed somewhat promising, and it was the only lead she had as to the whereabouts of her friend's eldest son. So, without knowing where she was going or exactly why she was going there, she trudged forward through the mush.

Zachary's shaggy brown hair stuck to his face as the rain utterly soaked it and his clothing.

He looked up at the dark clouds with his angry, hazel eyes, "What am I doing?" He asked quietly, "What's out here?"

Slowly he moved his hand to his back to feel the large weapon strapped onto his shirt. He closed his eyes as fresh raindrops dripped down his long face. His thick arms had goose bumps from the chilling weather, and the hair on his legs was flattened down by the mud that was caked onto his skin that reached halfway up his shins.

A bright light flashed not too far from him. He opened his eyes, looked forward, and began once again to slowly move toward it, completely unaware of what he was doing.

He neared the whereabouts of the flash and stopped, "Why'd I come here?" He thought out loud, "There's nothing here…"

Suddenly he heard a strange noise behind him. It sounded like the whinny of a horse, yet somehow wraithlike with a curious electric crackle to it.

He started, suddenly tense. Shivers ran down his spine, yet he felt warm now, not even remotely cold. The strange whinny sounded again, this time closer.

Now he was indisputably frightened. His body tensed up as he placed his hand on the hilt of his weapon.

The whinny sounded again, still closer than before. It was now that he noticed the absence of the flashing lights. Slowly he drew his weapon, fear now engulfing him like the shadow of the night.

Just then, he heard yet another sound, one that came from directly behind him. It was a loud, shrill sound; one that seemed eerily close to his name.

"Gah!" He screamed, scared more than he had ever been before, as he spun around, thrusting his lance forward.

Julia's eyes grew wide. She could do nothing to protect herself as a brilliantly white, small horse charged up to her. It jumped forward, its four legs kicking as it soared through the air. The front two legs knocked Julia in the face, sending her sprawling to the ground. Just as her back touched the soft marsh, the beast landed on top of her, its weight crushing her as it pranced casually on her body.

Part IV

Jonathan sat, impatiently drumming his fingers on the wooden table in front of him, waiting.

"Are you done yet?" He asked the felynes behind him.

"Nya, not quite," one answered as it carefully sliced the large hunk of flesh into neat slabs.

Jonathan sighed.

The lance thumped softly as it splashed against the watery ground. Zachary staggered backward, utterly horrified as he stared at the spectacle before him. The small white horse slowly turned toward him, revealing its short, yet deadly, brilliant white horn positioned on the middle of its forehead.

Again, shivers were sent down the man's spine, for reasons other than the biting cold that had left him at the arrival of the legendary beast.

"Zach!" Thomas called out as he ran up to his friend, "There you are! What the hell were you…?"

He stopped, catching sight of the beast as it stood proudly upon the dead body of the kindest woman he had ever known.

Wide eyed, he turned to Zachary, "Wh-what the hell is that thing?"

Zachary gave no response; only a blank stare aimed at nothing visible to any eyes but his own.

Slowly, the beast advanced upon them; its steps perfectly balanced, perfectly smooth, perfectly intimidating.

"Nya!" The lead felyne called out.

"Done?" Asked its master.

"Enjoy, Gastronome," Scott delivered the two dishes to the small table.

"Thanks," Jonathan instantly began to cut his steak into bites, but stopped when he remembered his obligation. With a sigh, he stood and left the kitchen.

"Hey Thomas," he said as he entered the main room of his house, "Your food's…" he looked around, noticing that his brother's friend was not present "…ready."

He frowned, "Great." As was customary before leaving the house, he grabbed the large blade that was propped up in a corner of the room. Throwing his coat back on, he briskly flung open the front door and exited his home.

A small pig ran after him as he left.

"Hey Piggy," he smiled down at the little animal, "you gonna help me look?"

The pig snorted happily as it trotted alongside its human friend. Its pink body was quickly drenched by the constant rainfall.

"Aren't you cold?" Jonathan asked as he walked.

The pig snorted again.

"Just checking..." He returned his gaze in front of him.

He walked optimistically for a while. That is, until he heard a strange sound. A male was yelling, but, over the continuous roll of thunder, it was difficult to make out what he was saying.

However, Jonathan was still able to recognize the voice "Is that Thomas?"

As always, the pig responded with a joyful snort, completely oblivious to anything its friend was saying. But when Jonathan quickened his pace dramatically, the pig followed suit without a second thought.

"Zach!" Thomas yelled, "What the hell IS that?!"

"It's a…" Zachary paused for a moment, contemplating that very same question, "Kirin."

"So they are real…" Thomas quietly replied as the monster approached them, "What are we gonna do?"

Zachary carefully bent over and grabbed his lance from the wet ground, "What can we do?"

"Zach, don't be crazy."

"Ha!" He laughed, "It's too late for that, isn't it?"

He ran up to the Kirin and shoved the tip of his spear into its chest. No blood was visible in the stormy dark air, but Zachary could feel the warm liquid rushing over his hands as he plunged his weapon deeper into the unicorn's flesh.

The beast hopped back, the lance cleanly sliding out of its chest as it did so. It jumped to the side and, as soon as its hoofs touched the ground, leaped forward. Zachary swung his spear, batting the monster out of the sky. It landed on its side and laid there for a few seconds, allowing Zachary to plunge his lance into its stomach twice.

But the monster was still able to get back on its feet.

Zachary turned to his friend, who was speechlessly watching, "Never mind, let's go."

He hastily strapped his weapon onto his back and ran towards his home. Thomas, frightened beyond words, was following closely behind him.

Suddenly Jonathan thought of something. He stopped running and quickly wrenched from his bag a green explosive. He ripped the top and hurled it into the air. As it exploded in the sky, it created a bright beacon of green light.

Shortly after, a red flash appeared ahead of him.

"Looks like we better hurry, Piggy," he said to the small animal at his side.

"Uh-oh," Jess said grimly as he stared at the sky, "Red flares aren't good."

He took off running in the direction of the second flare as fast as he could.

It didn't take long for him to reach his friends.

"Oy! What's going on?" He asked as he ran along side them.

"Kirin…came…Zach fought it…couldn't hurt it…" Thomas panted.

"What?!" Jess exclaimed without stopping, "There's no such thing as a Kirin!"

Zachary glared, "Look behind you."

Jess turned his head, and quickened as pace when he saw what was chasing them.

"It's gaining on us!" He yelled as he ran passed them.

"Yeah, thanks Jess!" Zachary yelled after him.

Something in front of them caught Thomas' attention. He squinted ahead of him in an attempt to see what it was through the torrential rain.

"Zach, your brother's coming."

"It's about time," Zachary replied, "Lazy bastard."

They reached Jonathan quickly.

"What's wrong?" Jonathan asked when he reached his brother.

"Kirin's behind us," Zachary replied without slowing his pace.

"Right," Jonathan ran in the opposite direction of his friends, straight toward the approaching beast.

He pulled his sword out from behind his back and held it at his side. The Kirin reached him quickly, only to meet the sharp edge of his sword as he swung it around his body. The blade smashed into the unicorn's side, sending it flying. As it hit the ground, Jonathan leaped after it, jamming the wide blade into its side. He lifted his sword and swung it down onto the Kirin as it lay on the ground, his blade rebounding off the hard skin. Without faltering, he swung again, and again, and again. He felt the unicorn's ribs crack under the force of his blows.

Until finally, the Kirin jolted upright, turned around, and fled.

Jonathan returned his giant sword to the strap on his back, "Thomas, your food's ready."

Part V

Zachary sat on his own bed, his brother in the chair across the room.

"When's he due back, exactly?" Zachary asked his brother.

Jonathan sighed, "Yesterday."

Thomas entered the house without knocking, as was customary between close friends, "What's going on?" He asked.

"Still waiting for Will to come home," Jonathan answered.

"How's Jess doing?" Zachary asked his friend.

"Still moaning about, doing nothing," Thomas replied.

"Two weeks later?" Zachary inquired.

"Uh, I wouldn't be talking, Zach," Jonathan pointed out.

"What do you mean?" Zachary glared at his brother.

"Please," Jonathan chuckled, "How long did it take you to get over Aeris' death?"

Zachary stared at the ground, "I can't answer that yet," he replied sadly.

Jonathan shook his head disapprovingly.

Suddenly the door burst open again, "Hey, hey!"

"Will!" Jonathan exclaimed as he jumped to his feet, "Took you long enough."

"Well it's kind of hard to travel quickly with all the extra money I made," William smiled.

"How much did you make?" Jonathan asked his friend.

William glanced around the room, "Let's just say…a lot," he grinned again, "Pokke is really desperate for mushrooms," he chuckled, "That village is a gold mine. Oh, and I found this," he produced from his small bag a grapefruit-sized black orb and showed it to the room.

Zachary stood up, "Where exactly did you find that?"

William shrugged, "I was walking along, when I saw something shiny in a large black…thing."

"A large black thing?" Thomas raised an eyebrow as he propped himself up against the wall.

"It was…kinda like a snake skin. Only it was metallic and it had wings and legs."

"Kushala Daora…" Zachary said thoughtfully.

"Really?" William seemed amazed, "Wow. You mean she sheds her skin?"

Zachary nodded, "She gets rusty. Rust limits her movement."

"Well that's interesting…" William pondered the fact, "Well, anyway, I was walking along when I saw a discarded Kushala skin half-buried in the snow. Something shiny sparkled from its surface. So I walked up to it and carved it away from the skin."

"Do you know what this is?" Zachary asked, marveling at the orb's magnificence.

"No, but it's shiny," William smiled, tossing the black orb into the air and catching it.

Zachary shook his head, "This is a Dragon Orb."

William almost dropped the dark sphere.

"Get yourself a weapon, DeArsel," Zachary continued, "Or that thing's useless to you."

"Already taken care of," William grinned, pulling a long, slender weapon from a strap on his back.

It was a bright blue sword, with flame-like formations on the dull edge that seemed to be more for show than for actual use. However, the blade itself was sharp enough to slice through iron with ease. It was not crafted of metal, but rather from multiple overlapping blue dragon scales, giving the blade a reinforced strength of almost an immeasurable degree.

"Whoa," Jonathan said, his eyes sparkling, "What kind of sword of this? It's so long."

"Yours is long," William motioned toward the gargantuan sword propped up against the wall across from Thomas.

"But not nearly as thin, or as…curved, as this," Jonathan stroked the flat side of the blue blade.

"Where did you get that?" Thomas asked without shifting his weight from the wall, "There's no sword like that from anywhere in this Empire."

"This thing is definitely foreign," Zachary agreed, "You've come across a rare treasure, indeed, DeArsel."

"You mean the orb or this sword?" William smiled as Jonathan took his weapon from his hands to admire it more closely.

Zachary found no need to answer. Instead, he asked his own question, "So where'd you get this sword?"

"Oop, can't tell you that," William stepped back, "Promised not to," he paused, "Where's Aeris?"

"Ah, DeArsel," Zachary patted his brother's friend on the shoulder, "She's dead."

William was speechless. All he could say was, "Wh…"

"Yeah," Zachary nodded, keeping his hand on William's shoulder.

Finally William found his voice, "Is…is that why everyone's so gloomy?"

"Nah, it was a while ago," Zachary reasoned, "But if you think the village is gloomy, wait until you see Jess."

"God…" William was horrified, "Ju-Julia?"

"Two weeks ago," Thomas explained, "It was a Kirin."

"No…" William collapsed on his friend's bed, "They don't even exist…"

"Yeah they do," Jonathan handed the sword back to his friend, "I beat the snot out of it."

"No you didn't," Zachary said, ignoring the man on Jonathan's bed, "It wanted you to think you did."

"What?" Jonathan asked in disbelief, "I felt its ribs crack. The damn thing fled."

Zachary laughed, "I felt its blood pumping straight from its heart over my hands. You didn't hurt it. If anything, you surprised it. But I doubt it. I believe it was simply testing us."

"So, what: it's invincible?" Thomas asked.

Zachary shook his head, "It's mortal, but I don't think its death will be easy to bring. It heals almost instantly."

"Well there must be something that can kill it," Jonathan reasoned.

"Of course there is," Zachary replied, "It's no Elder Dragon. But it isn't a wyvern, either. There is some distinct way to kill it, but no one knows what it is."

"We were probably the first people to actually see one and live," Thomas reasoned.

"So I did hurt it," Jonathan said.

"Perhaps, but not very much," Zachary answered, "That's probably not why it fled. Again, it was testing us. It will be back."

Yet again, the door burst wide open, "What the hell are you doing?" A villager yelled from the doorway, "Get out here and help your village!"

"What's happening?" Thomas stood.

"The damn thing's back. It's back!!"

The man turned to join the fight that enveloped the entire village.

Jonathan and Zachary grabbed their weapons as Thomas retrieved his small mallet from the leather belt around his waste. William remained on the bed.

Jonathan motioned questionably at him.

"Leave him," Zachary responded quickly, "We need to attack."

The two brothers hopped over the mangled corpse of the unsuspecting villager that was killed in the Kirin's initial charge into the village and joined the fight alongside their many friends. Everywhere they looked they caught sight of numerous brave villagers lying on the ground in pain. The Kirin rampaged about, attacking anyone that came near it.

Thomas followed quickly behind his friend, but carefully kept his distance from the vicious unicorn, worried more about his own life than that of his capable companions.

Jonathan swung his blade down upon the Kirin just as its back hoofs shattered a man's ribcage. The sword smashed down onto the back of the beast's body. Its legs buckled under it, forcing it violently to the ground as another villager's shovel cracked down upon its long neck.

Zachary followed the attack up with two jabs of his lance, creating small holes in the monster's side as the spearhead pierced its hide. A strange multicolored blood simmered down the side of the Kirin's skin.

But the Kirin did not falter or flinch. It quickly jumped back to its feet and pranced forward, toward Thomas, who rolled to the side and brought his small mallet sideways into the beast's eye. This time the unicorn did flinch, but instantly recovered, rearing its head to the side and snapping a small sword thrust at it from the opposite angle. The villager holding the now shattered weapon proceeded to attack again, slashing at the Kirin with the broken blade. But the beast hopped back, narrowly avoiding the villager's slash and a hack at it from another man's axe, and bounced forward, jabbing its horn at the man's chest. He did all he could to avoid the attack, but still lost a chunk of skin under his arm.

The man collapsed, cupping his bloody underarm with his opposite hand. Jonathan charged at the beast and brought his huge sword around him, hacking at the monster's side. The edge collided, sending the Kirin through the air, until it landed with a thump. Zachary thrust his lance into the monster's stomach before it had a chance to recover.

He pushed forward with all his might, until the spearhead, coated in the strange, colorful blood, poked out of the unicorn's back. Zachary grunted as he forced his weapon further, for the resistance in the powerful horse's body was overwhelming. When the lance had protruded as far as it would, he let go of the weapon and jumped into the air, smashing the Kirin's head on his shield as he fell.

Its skull cracked, and the colorful blood seeped out, soaking the ground. The Kirin thrashed wildly, kicking Zachary in the knee as it did so. He let out a cry of pain and fell, as his brother and two other villagers bombarded the unicorn with constant slashes.

But the swords bounced off of the brilliant hide with little effect. The Kirin slowly stood, shaking off its countless wounds as if they were but nips from a swarm of bugs. It shook its head as the cracks upon its skull mended themselves in less time than it would take to toss a small stone into a pond.

The three villagers attacking the unicorn stared in bewilderment, allowing the Kirin to rear up, kicking its front legs and knocking one of the villagers to the ground, two of his ribs snapped in half.

"What is this thing?" One of the villagers yelled as he dropped his sword, backing away from the mystical beast, "This thing cannot be killed! Fall back!"

He turned and ran like a frightened sheep, most of the still capable villagers following close behind him.

Yells of fright rang out loudly above the cries of battle and the groans of pain.

"Cowards!" Jonathan spat as he rolled beneath a jab of the Kirin's horn, "All of you!"

He swung his sword vertically, slashing at the Kirin's neck, but it hopped aside as casually as it would wag its sparkling, white tail. A few non-wounded villagers remained to fight, Thomas among them, but none of them did any real damage to the beast. Thomas pulled out a small knife from his belt and ran up to the monster. As its attention was occupied by lance-wielding villager, he inserted the tiny blade into its back multiple times, creating miniscule holes all over the monster's flesh.

The Kirin hardly seemed to notice. It quickly disposed of the lancer and kicked its hind legs back. But Thomas sidestepped the attack, and countered with a mallet strike to the beast's groin.

He struck with enough force to knock the Kirin's rear upward slightly, throwing it off balance. Jonathan and the other remaining villager hopped around the beast, striking it cautiously, but often.

Zachary struggled to his feet. Slowly he approached his weapon that lay blood-stained on the ground. Retrieving it, he pointed at the unicorn's face and charged forward.

Jonathan swung his blade at the beast, which hopped to the side to avoid the attack, colliding with the other villager and knocking him on his back. It continued to land, crushing the villager beneath its hoofs.

Zachary reached the beast at full speed and shoved his lance between its eyes. It staggered backward, ripping the weapon from his hands, and moved into the range of Jonathan's next strike. This one sent the monster toppling over. But it quickly recovered.

It turned toward Jonathan and swiftly leaped over his head. Landing behind him, it leaped backward, its rear smashing into his back and sending him to his knees.

Weaponless, Zachary stood in front of the unicorn, his lance still protruding from its face. He slowly approached it, until his friend ran at it from the side and smashed its hip with the head of his mallet. It whinnied, allowing Zachary to run forward and grasp his weapon. He wrenched it free, but left the Kirin an opportunity to kick him in the stomach with its front feet. He coughed painfully and collapsed, watching as the beast flipped around and bashed Thomas under the chin with the side of its horn.

The defeated villagers lied there, groaning, waiting for the Kirin to decide who to finish first. It turned toward Jonathan, who seemed the most likely to recover quicker, as his injury was the least severe. He glared up at the monster, a sharp pain throbbing agonizingly from his spine. He tried to stand, but his back would not allow it.

The Kirin pointed its horn at his neck, preparing to run him through. Suddenly something came hurling through the air, stabbing into the unicorn's back and latching itself firmly in place.

The beast turned its head to see the shaft of a common pickaxe jutting out of its flesh.

"How's it feel, you prancing little bastard?!" Jess yelled at the beast, twirling a pickaxe in each hand, "You're gonna die for what you did to Julia," he stopped twirling his pickaxes and held them firmly. Zachary solemnly shut his eyes at the mention of the event that occurred two weeks prior. "You're gonna die!!" Jess repeated loudly.

The Kirin turned to Jess and pranced toward him, hopping from one side to the other like it was dancing through a field of flowers. When it neared him, Jess rolled passed it, bringing one of his pickaxes with him at the side, running it through the monster's skin. A huge gash formed down the length of the unicorn's body, its strange blood gushing freely out onto the ground.

It turned to him again, rearing on its hind legs, its front legs kicking barbarically. Jess rolled under the Kirin's belly, slashing constantly at it with both pickaxes. The colorful blood rained down upon him like a storm, drenching him entirely. As the Kirin began to lower itself, he rolled out from under it and ran a few yards away.

Slowly, he turned back around to face it, as it charged straight at him, its horn pointing at his stomach. Just before it pierced his skin, he swung both pickaxes around him, stabbing the unicorn in both of its eyes. Holding tight to both of the handles, he pulled the Kirin toward him. He jumped in the air and used the pickaxes for leverage as he flipped back, kicking the beast's horn with enough force to smash through a hunk of wood.

The rim of the horn ripped slightly, and its strange blood shot out furiously, utterly drenching anything remotely near it. It cried out furiously as it turned and ran from the village into the jungle, a river of colorful blood forming behind it.

"Damn," Zachary scratched the back of his head, "How many are dead?"

"Not too many, actually," Thomas answered, "Most are seriously injured, but I think they'll live. How are you?"

Zachary shook his head, "I'm fine."

Jess stared around, breathing heavily, his pickaxes dripping with blood, "The damn bastard's still alive!"

"That he is," Jonathan struggled to crack his sore back, "Just be grateful most of us still are, too."

"I don't give a damn about any of you!" Jess yelled.

"Don't say that," Thomas frowned, "We're all family."

"Bah," Jess dejected the notion, "I have no family anymore. The damn pony killed the only one I ever loved."

Zachary glanced around nervously, "I'm leaving."

"What?!" Thomas asked, shocked.

Zachary shrugged, "I'm sick of this place. I'm sick of you," he pointed at a random villager who was struggling to stand, "and you," he signified another villager, "and you," he glared at Jess, "You people make me sick. All of you."

"This is your village, Zach," Thomas said quietly, "These are your people. We're a family."

Zachary shook his head, "The only family I have is him!" He motioned vaguely in the direction of his brother, who was hardly paying attention, "My family did not start here. My village is gone. It's been gone for eight years. The only family I had in this sorry excuse for a village besides Johnny was killed less than a month ago!

"I've killed the exact Rathaloses that destroyed my life, as well as countless innocents, but that brought me nothing. There is one creature that still must die. And I couldn't care less about this…place; as long as that thing still lives."

"What thing?" Jonathan asked, "Where are you planning on going? You can't leave the village, not now. Not when we're in so much trouble. You are the best chance we have at survival. And you're just going to let us all die because of some personal issues?"

"Damn straight," Zachary replied.

"Fine, who needs ya?" Jess glared, "I'll kill the bastard m'self."

"Go ahead," answered Zachary.

"No Zach," Thomas said, "We need you."

"Jess'll do fine," Zachary reasoned, "You saw what he just did."

"Jess isn't a soldier," Jonathan explained, "He caught the Kirin by surprise, and, frankly, got lucky. No offense, Jess."

"Bah."

"Zach," Thomas began, "You're the only one among us with any true fighting experience."

Zachary scowled darkly.

"Fine," Jonathan shrugged, "I'll take care of it."

"No," Zachary said quietly.

"What was that?" Thomas taunted.

Zachary sighed, "I'll help. I can't let my brother get himself killed," Jonathan frowned, "But as soon as that thing is dead, I'm leaving this place."

"Wait, wait, wait!" William came running out of the house, "I'll come too."

"No," Zachary shook his head, "You have absolutely no fighting experience. You'll just slow us down."

"I wouldn't say that," William smiled, "I have a little experience under my belt."

"Fighting what, rodents?"

"Just give me a chance," William continued to smile, "We're gonna kill this thing."

"Whatever…" Zachary rubbed his eye, "We'll leave tomorrow."

"So, is Jess coming too?" Jonathan asked his brother when they were retiring for the night.

"He better not," Zachary answered, "More people will only slow me down."

Jonathan laughed, "You're not really leaving after we kill it, are you?"

Zachary nodded, "But if we fail, I'm still leaving."

"Where are you going?"

Zachary sighed, "It's…personal."

"Would Father approve of this?"

Zachary actually chuckled a little bit, "I seriously doubt it. But listen, if we fail, and I leave, you must promise me not to hunt it down by yourself. Ever."

"Then why leave?" Jonathan asked.

"I have to," his brother answered, "But I'll be back shortly with better armor."

"Wait," Jonathan frowned, "So what you're saying is; if we kill it, you're going on some profound personal quest of self-fulfillment; but if we fail, you're leaving to get better armor so you can return and heroically save the day?"

"Well, you can't seriously expect me to just abandon my village can you?" Zachary laughed.

"But you said…You're weird, Zach," Jonathan shook his head, "So, you're not going to abandon us?"

"No, of course not," Zachary answered, "I was a little frustrated when I said that. There's too much stuff in my mind, it gets difficult controlling what comes out of my mouth."

"So…You promise you're not going to abandon us?"

"I promise."

"Swear on it."

Zachary laughed, "I swear."


End file.
